


an old flame

by selladore



Category: Fallout (Video Games)
Genre: Implied Relationships, Old Friends, Other, POV First Person, Probably never will be, Unfinished
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-02
Updated: 2019-03-02
Packaged: 2019-10-31 01:12:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,229
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17839550
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/selladore/pseuds/selladore
Summary: after a few years roaming the vast Commonwealth, you decide to return to Diamond City for a visit. you find Nick Valentine, an old friend, by no accident and an unexpected turn of events ensue.





	an old flame

The steel door cracked open ever so slightly, metal screeching against the floor and the faint whistle of the wind from outside creeping in. You peeked your head around the door, inspecting the space for signs that the building was still occupied. The low drone of a radio echoed around the room and a thin cloud of smoke clung to the air, someone must be in, you thought. Nick didn't take days off... did he? The place was as cramped as ever, but by the looks of it, it was still the same Valenine Detective Agency that you remebered.

  
''Hello?'' you called out. No answer. You let yourself in quietly and turned to close the door behind you, only to jump at the sound of an unfamiliar voice, a womans voice.

  
''Hi there, can I help you?'' A young lady with tied up brunette hair stood in the doorway across the room. Was she a friend of Nicks?

  
''I'm looking for Nick? Nick Valentine?'' you enquired.

  
''Yes, of course. Are you here for an appointment?''

''Uh, not exactly,'' you faltered. ''We... used to know each other.''

  
''Oh, right... well, please have a seat and I'll let him know you're here.'' She cracked a smile and turned on her heel to retrieve Nick. You gladly obliged and flopped in to the chair by the desk, letting your weary arms go limp by your sides. The song that had been on the radio came to an end, and so another played.  
  
''One more tomorrow  
To hold you in my embrace  
And thrill with rapture  
Each time I look at your face...  
  
One more tomorrow  
To see heaven in your eyes  
To have your hand cling to mine  
And wander through paradise...  
  
One more tomorrow  
to kiss you lips constantly  
and feel the palming  
as your heart beats next to me  
  
one more tomorrow  
filled with love the whole day through  
and then tomorrow i beg  
for one more tomorrow with you...”  
  
Ugh. You were beginning to second guess wether it really was a good idea to come back or not, even if it was a brief visit. Circumstances were different now. Were your expectations too high, too hopeful after what you had done? You had proven him right, after all. You left. Were you simply chasing fond memories of shadowing him on his adventures as a detective that seemed like a distant, hazy dream now? Footsteps approaching from the other room interrupted your train of thought and moments later you glanced up to lay eyes on him once again. Nick Valentine. He leaned in the doorway, the same as ever, with the brim of his worn hat shielding his glowing oculars from view and a lit cigarette hanging from his lip.

“Nick-!” you almost leapt out of your chair to stand and excitedly greet him again.

  
''It's alright, you don't need to get up,'' he mused, cruising over to his side of the desk with that swagger of his. He sat in front of you and leaned over to put out his cigarette in the ash tray. ''Been a long time.''

  
''Still smoking those things?'' you couldn’t help but tease him.

  
''Not like they can do much harm to this old machine,” he scoffed back as stubbed the end out. You noticed he still had that spindly metal hand of his he so often tinkered with, the bare bones of a hand you had once kissed so fondly. ''So... What brings you back to the Jewel of the Commonwealth?''

  
''I was in the area. Thought I'd stop by and see how this place is holding up.'' Nick paused at your response, as if letting a hint of disappointment apparent. It wasn't what you had hoped to say either, but it was a million miles better than the truth. For now. The pang of guilt that stirred in the pit of your stomach when you thought about it was enough to make you leave as quickly as you had arrived.

  
''You know how it is. There's always folks in need of help in Diamond City. Hell, in the whole Commonwealth. There's been a heck of a lot more people travelling just to find us lately. Times are rough.''

You could imagine. After the bombs fell the Commonwealth became a wild and lawless place, you had seen it, witnessed the horrors. You even played by it’s rules to survive each day, a necessary evil, and something you were hard pressed to think about in front of Nick. His compassion and ‘justice-will-prevail’ attitude was always something you had admired and held as an example. Diamond City and it’s very own Detective Agency truly was a diamond in the rough, hence the name. The slamming of the door behind you ripped you both from a comfortable silence. You whipped around, Nick stood up from his chair reflexively. An older woman, about middle-aged you thought, had barged through, looking dishevelled, distraught.

  
''Detective Valentine?'' Her voice was stricken with panic.

  
''Yes, can we help you?'' Nick asked, calm and collected as always. He'd probably seen people in worse states in his time.

  
''My boy, my baby... he's gone. He's only ten, please-'' Nick shared a sympathetic look with her and gestured to your seat, which you promptly abandoned and instead took to leaning against the wall. Ellie must have heard the sudden commotion as she had rushed through from the back room.

  
''Well you’ve come to the right man, if not the right place. Tell me everything you can. Where did you last see him?'' he prompted.

  
''We’re with the caravans, you see,'' she squeaked through tears while Nick sat with her and Ellie stood behind him, notepad and pen at the ready. ''We were delivering supplies at the gate this afternoon, we were so busy, I-I just wasn’t keeping an eye on him. He won't survive out there! He’ll be taken by raiders or gunners or-''

Nick raised his good hand. ''Don’t blame yourself, these things happen but it’s not your fault. He can't have gone far, I reckon he's still in the Boston area,'' he assured, an attempt to calm the woman. He had that effect on people. ''Me and Sole-'' he turned to glance up at you. ''We'll find him for you.''

Even after all this time, your name rolling off his tongue was like being swept up all over again, and paired with the small, timid smile you thought you saw flash across his features as he spoke it made your heart stir. You shuffled in place, cheeks flushing. You made a mental note of his usage of the word 'we', like you were a team again. Partners. You stored that away in the back of your mind for later and tried your best to focus on the task at hand.

''My secretary will look after you while we're gone, right, Ellie?'' You watched her nod and attentively link arms with the caravan hand, escorting her to the room through the back. Nick made his way to the door but you were reluctant to leave his cosy office space that was so very reminiscent of him. Being back here again was like a warm embrace, although bittersweet. ''Come on. It'll be dark soon,'' he reminded. You followed closely after him out in to the city, ready to brave the outside world once again.

**Author's Note:**

> im love nick..... :'') thanks for reading! this is my first fic and also my attempt at getting back in to the swing of writing after a while. im not completely happy with this but i’m never 100% happy with anything i make. feel free to leave a kudos or comment if you enjoyed it!


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